George Grant Bond
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Conclusion
Register of Marks
Bibliography
References
Index
Search
Help
Contact us
Cyclonic rains in the years 1927 and 1931 produced severe floods in southern Queensland, and the Weather Bureau was in the forefront of the daily news. More and more people were acquiring radio sets, and it was necessary to supply the Brisbane Station 4QG with frequent bulletins on the state of the rivers. This was a new contingency for the Bureau, in that their reporting of the flood situation and predictions of likely maximum heights, came much more intimately before the public, and had a wider audience. Both floods were well-handled by the Bureau. Mr Bond predicted that the 1927 flood would reach less than 12 feet on the Port Office gauge, and a few days later, with the flood receding, the highest reading had been 9 feet 4 inches. Only days after this flood, with its consequent heavy demands on the small man-power resources of the Bureau, the tired staff noted with dismay the report from Willis Island of a cyclone heading towards the Queensland coast. After another few days—and nights—of intense activity at the Bureau, the papers reported 'Terrific Havoc at Cairns'. On succeeding days, reports and pictures were published of the ravaged north Queensland town, but lack of criticism of the Bureau seems to indicate that correct forecasts had been made and adequate warnings given. However there were no accolades for the little staff at the Weather Bureau.
The 1931 flood was of greater magnitude, and the reading at the Port Office gauge was 13 feet 4 inches, accurately forecast by the Weather Bureau at under 16 feet. Bulletins had been supplied every few hours to 4QG, and one press statement reported '4QG closed down at 10 pm on Thursday evening, but reopened at midnight when the Weather Bureau's latest bulletin was issued'.[27] It was a strenuous time for the men whose official working hours were 9 am to 5 pm.
Back in 1919, a few perceptive people had foreseen the escalation of work that would come for the Weather Bureau, with the birth of the Air Age. Dr Griffith Taylor wrote then: 'It is to be hoped that the reader now realises how intimate is the connection between meteorology and aviation, and also how much needs to be done in a scientific preparation for the forthcoming aerial traffic'.[28]
People in Bright Sparcs - Bond, George Grant; Taylor, Thomas Griffith
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Bureau of Meteorology |  |
© Online Edition Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre and Bureau of Meteorology 2001
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